Shoe



June 1941- J. F. TEEHAN 2,244,030

SHOE

Filed March 5, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jupe 3, 1941. J, F, TEEHAIQ2,244,030

SHOE

Filed March 3, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fzwizfir 2707272 f (756% PatentedJune 3, 1941 UNITED STATES P 15 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in the art of shoemaking. Anobject of the invention is to provide a shoe in which are eliminatedcertain sources of discomfort, and which may be economically madewithout sacrifice of quality. To this end, according to the invention,the interior of the upper is made as smooth as possible, eliminating orminimizing ridges and bumps in the shoe, especially in that part of theupper which bears on the front bony ridge of the instep of the foot.This ridge does not extend along the midline of the normal foot but isoffset toward the inner side of the foot. In the ordinary 0X- ford shoe,one edge of the tongue usually forms a ridge in the shoe which is apt topress directly on the bony ridge of the instep and to cause discomfort.

Furthermore, the tongue of the ordinary oxford shoe forms a bunch at itsbase where it is attached to the upper. In making cheaper shoes thetongue is usually held in place while the vamp is being stitched to thequarters, the base of the tongue being traversed by the line ofstitching to secure the tongue in place. Then the portion of the tonguebelow the line of stitching is trimmed off. In better shoes, when thevamp lining is stitched to the quarter linings, the stitching isinterrupted at the throat of the vamp, and the tongue is pocketedbetween the overlapping portions of the vamp lining and quarters at thethroat, and the base of the tongue is secured by a short line ofstitching through the lining, tongue and quarters. The vamp is thenstitched to the quarters, this stitching passing through the lining andtongue. Then the vamp lining is trimmed at the throat of the vamp. Ineither case, the tongue forms a bunch with the vamp and quarters atthethroat of the vamp, which is often a source of irritation to the footof the wearer. The tongue itself frequently causes trouble by bucklingand slipping to one side. 7

According to the present invention, the tongue and all of the troublesconsequent to its use are eliminated. In lieu thereof one of the quarterlinings is made with an extension at its forward end, forming a wingwhich underlies both rows of eyelets, or, if there are no eyelets, theportions of the quarters in which the eyelets are usually mounted. Thiswing is an extension on the lining of the inner quarter, that is, thequarter on the inner side of the foot, and extends across the bony ridgeof the instep without gap or seam, terminating at the outer side of thefoot.

The wing preferably has the approximate size andshape of a tongue andunderlies the abutting fore portions of the quarters which a tongueusually underlies. The wing not only improves the comfort of the shoebut simplifies the manufacture thereof'by eliminating the necessity formaking, inserting and trimming the tongue in the customary manner. Theinner quarter is provided with an eyelet stay, preferably of the samematerial as the lining, which can be assemo bled with the quarters andlinings in a number of different ways as hereinafter described. Forexample, the upper can be assembled in such a way that the inner facesof the quarter linings are substantially free from stitching, except forthe marginal line of top-stitching and a line of stitching joining thefore parts of the linings to the vamp lining. An all-leather lining forthe upper may also be employed, if desired, and. such lining may consistof two pieces, each extending from heel to toe. These pieces may bejoined by stitching at or near the heel and also by a line of stitchingextending along the mid-line of the shoe from the throat of the vamp tothe toe. As hereinafter described, these linings can .be secured to thequarters by the line of top stitching only, leaving the central areasfree of stitchmg.

Another object of the invention is to assemble the parts of the upper insuch a manner as to form a pocket between the wing of the quarter liningand the facing which is secured thereto. This is of especial importancein the case of shoes which are fastened by zippers or the like. It isevident that shoes with that type of fastening necessarily have adefinite instep measurement which cannot be adapted to different feet ascan laced shoes. Furthermore, when an upper having a zipper fastening ispulled over the last, it is drawn so tightly against the surface of thelast that the zipper tab cannot be moved to undo the fastening for theremoval of the last. According to the present invention, the wing of thequarter lining and the facing piece therefor are secured together insuch a manner as to form a pocket into which is inserted a filled pieceof substantially incompressible material such as sole leather, forexample. The upper is then pulled over a last which has been built withan average instep measurement. When the time comes to pull the last, thefiller piece is first withdrawn from the pocket, easing the upper sothat the zipper tab can be moved to undo the fastening. Then the lastcan be removed from the shoe. A soft felt filler piece may be insertedin the pocket previously occupied by the leather filler, whereupon theshoe will fit a foot of average instep measurement. By the removal ofthe felt filler or the substitution of a thicker one, the shoe canreadily be adapted to fit feet having in step measurements larger orsmaller than the average.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be hadto the following description thereof, and to the drawings of whichFigure 1 is a plan view of a shoe upper embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan View of the same.

Figure 3 is a plan view of a partly assembled upper, without the vamp.

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4,-t of Fi ure 3.

Figures 5 and 6 are sectional views similar to Figure 4 but showingmodified forms of the inshoe, quarter linings 24, andrzt for therespective quarters, a vamp'28, an eyelet stay 3d, and a facing piece32. The fore parts of the quarters have edge portions 33 which areadapted to abut each other, actually or approximately, when the shoe isworn. The portion of each quarter adjacent to its edge 33 is hereinafterreferred 'to as the eyelet portion, whether or not eyelets happen to beemployed in any particular shoe.

As is customary in modern shoemaking, shoes are made in pairs, each pairbeing designed so that one of the quarters is shaped to fit against theinner side of the wearers foot, that is, the side of the foot adjacentto the other foot of the wearer, the other quarter being shaped to fitagainst the outer side of the wearers foot, that is, the side remotefrom the other foot. The inner side of the upper is usually indicated bya pair of shallow recesses 34 in the edge of the vamp. This serves toprevent confusion between rights and'lefts in assembling and lasting theuppers.

According to the present invention, the quarter lining 24 for the outerquarter of the shoe is cut out in the ordinary manner to be sewed to thequarter. The 'quarter lining 2'6 for the inner quarter ismade with'anextension 48 forming a wing which underlies the feyelet portions of thetwo quarters in lieu of the usual tongue. Since the leather customarilyused for the quarter linings is different in color from that used forthe quarters, the front face of the wing at is preferably treated togive it a color similar to that of the quarters so that the wing willnot be conspicuous through the eyelet holes or the crevice between theedges of the eyelet portions -'of the quarters. To this end, the frontface of the wing may be suitably finished and dyed, or, as indicated onthe drawings, a facing piece 32 may be secured to the front face of thewing, this facing piece being preferably of leather similar to that usedin thequarters. The quarter linings 24 and fishown in Figures 1 to 3.arepreferably of leather and extend continuously from heel to toe, thusunderlyingthe vamp as well as the quarters. If preferred, the usualtextile vamp lining (not shown) may be used with quarter linings whichunderlie the quarters only and. are stitched to the vamp lining in theusual manner. Where all-leather linings are used, as indicated in Figure2, the inner and outer side linings may be stitched together along theirforiii) ward portions as at 42, this stitching extending from the throatof the vamp to the toe of the upper. V

The parts of the upper illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 may be assembled invarious ways. The facing piece 32 may be secured to the front face ofthe wing it by a suitable adhesive which is preferably reinforced by aline of stitching M along the top margin, or, as hereinafter described,the facing may be. secured to the wing by lines of stitching along theside edges of the facing. The eyelet stay 30, which is preferably of thesame kind of material as that of the quarter linings, is stitched to theinner quarter by an ornamental line of stitching 46 back of the row ofeyelets 48. A corresponding ornamental line G9 is stitched on the outerquarter 20 The line 'of top stitching Ed (on the right shoe) is thenbegun and extended along the front edge of the quarter 22 and eyeletstay 38 It will be observed (see Figure 4) that the usual reinforcingstrips 51 and 53 are provided and positioned against the interior faceof the forward portions of the quarters. The lines of stitching 46 and5E! pass through and secure the strip 5| between the stay 39 and theinner quarter, while the lines of stitching 49 and 50 secure the otherstrip 53 between the outer quarter 20 and its lining 26. As iscustomary, the machine which does the top stitching also trims theeyelet stay and linings as it goes along so that the edge of the quarterprojects slightlybeyond the trimmed edges of the eyelet stay andlinings. After stitching along the forward edge of the eyelet stay to asuitable point, the machine passes from the eyelet stay to the top edgeof the inner quarter lining 26. A

notch 52 is provided in the edge of the quarter lining so that the feedwheel of the sewing machine can ride onto the inner face of the quarterlining 26, the wing 4F] being turned back out of the way as shown inFigure 11. The top stitching and undertrimming thus proceed along thetop of the inner quarter and around the heel, joining the inner quarter22 to its lining 26 along the portion of the top edge rearward of thenotch 52. The top stitching is then continued along the top edge andfront edge of the outer quarter 26 and its lining '24, eventuallyterminating at the throat of the vamp in the usual manner. On leftshoes, the top stitching starts on the outer quarter and terminates onthe inner quarter; The vamp 28 may then be stitched to the quartersalong the line 5 the forward'parts of the linings 2 and 26 beingpreferably turned back so that the vamp stitching does not go throughthe linings. The lined upper thus presents a smooth interior asindicated in Figure 2, the linings being free from stitching exceptalong certain portions of their edges. This results in additionalcomfort for the foot.

As indicated in Figures'2 and 3, the wing extension 4.0, as defined byits free end edge and the notch 52, is approximately the size and shapeof a conventional shoe tongue and is disposed symmetrically with respectto the opening between the front edges of the quarters. Hence the notch5'2, which marks the point nearest to said opening at which the liningelement 23 is secured to its quarter 22, is spaced from said opening bya distance approximately equal to half the width of a conventional shoetongue. Thus the eyelet portion of the quarter 22 can readily be'turnedback from the wing til to perrnit the threading'of laces through theeyelets.

Instead of initially stitching the eyelet stay to the forward portion ofthe inner quarter as shown in Figure 1, the eyelet stay may be stitchedto the lining 26 as shown at 56 in Figure 5. This may be done when it isdesired to omit the ornamental lines of stitching back of the eyeletrows. After the facing 32 has been attached to the front face of thewing 46 and the eyelet stay has been stitched to the inner quarterlining 26 by a line of stitching 56, the quarters, linings and eyeletstay may then be: joined together by the top stitching as hereinbeforedescribed.

Another method of assembling the various parts of the upper isillustrated in Figure 6. As therein shown the eyelet stay 30 is stitchedalong its rear edge to a side edge of the facing j;

32. The opposite side edge of the facing is stitched to the free end ofthe wing .9 by a line of stitching 58. Prior to stitching the facing tothe wing 40 alongthe line 58, the facing is sprung so that it bulgesoutward to stand away from the wing 49 and form a pocket therewith for apurpose hereinafter explained. The stitching 58 forms one side of thepocket, the other side being formed either by the line of vamp stitching54 by which the vamp is subsequently joined to the quarters, or byanother line of stitching 53 indicated in Figure 8 extending along theopposite side margin of the facing 32 and joining such margin to thewing ill. The

pocket formed by the wing 40 and its facing 32 is g of particularimportance and value in the making of shoes having fastening devices forthe quarters which, unlike laces, are not adjustable to permit a spreador gap between the forward edges of the quarters along the eyeletportions thereof to adjust the instep of the shoe to the foot of thewearer. In order to provide a pocket of suitable width, the wing 41!must be at least as wide as the pocket and is preferably about the sizeand shape of a conventional shoe tongue, as illustrated in Figure 10.Hence the notch 52, which marks the point nearest to the front openingbetween the quarters at which the lining element 25 is secured to itsquarter 22, is spaced from said opening a distance approximately equalto half the width of a conventional shoe tongue. In Figure '7 there isshown an oxford having a zipper fastening device Ell to fasten the shoe.This type of device is unyielding and non-adjustable. According to thepresent invention, the last 62 is constructed with an average instepmeasurement. Prior to pulling the upper over the last, a tab orincreaser 64 of flexible but comparatively non-compressible material,such as sole leather, is inserted in the pocket between the wing 49 andthe facing 32. The upper is then pulled over the last and the shoe iscompleted on the last in the usual manner. The pullingover operationdraws the upper so tightly against the surface of the last that thezipperclosing slide 66 cannot be moved to undo the fastening. Thisdifficulty is overcome by withdrawing the tab 64 from the pocket toprovide slack in the upper across the instep. This permits movement ofthe slide 66 to undo the zipper fastening and permit the removal of the.shoe from the last. The pocket is then ready to receive a flat pad offelt or the like if the latter is needed to ensure a correct fit on theinstep of the wearer. made with an average instep measurement, a feltpad of approximately the same thickness as the leather tab 64 will causethe shoe to fit a foot having an average instep measurementcorresponding to the size of the shoe. For larger If, as stated, thelast is insteps, a thinner pad of felt may be used in the pocket or thepad may be omitted altogether. For smaller than average instepmeasurements, thicker or multiple pads may be inserted in the pocket.

As will be observed in Figure 8, the fastening elements of the zipperdevice are attached to tapes 61, these tapes being stitched to the underface of the marginal portions of the quarters along the front edges; Inorder to anchor the zipper device properly, reinforcing elements mustunderlie and be secured to the tapes 57 along the edges of the opening.On one side of the front opening of the upper the quarter lining itselfserves as such reinforcing element, being stitched to its quarter alongthe front edge thereof and to the tape 67 which is sandwiched in betweenit and the front portion of the quarter. On the other side of theopening, the strip 31! is provided as the reinforcing element since onthis side of the opening the quarter lining has the extension wing fillwhich must not be attached to the quarter so close to the front openingas to interfere with the operation of the zipper fastener. Since thezipper as illustrated is located in a portion of the upper which isconsiderably curved to fit over the front of the foot and is normallysubjected to considerable tension when the shoe is being worn, the pointof attachment of the wing extension and its quarter nearest to the frontedge of the quarter must be considerably spaced from such edge for freeoperation of the zipper. The reinforcing strip 36 is thus disposedbetween the point of attachment of the wing extension and the adjacentfront edge of its quarter to provide reinforcement for the zipper tapeon that side of the opening.

It is evident that various modifications and changes may be made in theembodiment of the invention herein shown and described Without departingfrom the spirit or scope thereof as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A shoe upper having quarters having an opening at the front of theupper, and a pair of quarter lining elements each extending from theback of the upper continuously to the front thereof, one of saidelements having a wing extension in lieu of a tongue, said wing beingarranged to extend across the front bony ridge of the foot and tounderlie said opening and the adjacent portion of the other liningelement.

2. A shoe upper having quarters having an opening at the front of theupper, quarter lining elements, the element on the outer side of theshoe being stitched to the front edge of its quarter, the other liningelement having a wing in lieu of a tongue arranged to extend across thefront bony ridge of the foot and beyond the line of abutment of thequarters to underlie an adjacent portion of the lining element on theouter side, and a facing piece substantially cover ing the front face ofsaid wing.

3. A shoe upper having quarters for theiinner side and outer side of theshoe, quarter linings secured to said quarters, the lining for the innerside of the shoe having an extension adapted to extend across the frontbony ridge of the foot and to underlie the eyelet portions of bothquarters, an eyelet stay secured to the inner quarter by a line of edgeof said inner quarter, a facing piece on the front face of said liningextension, a line of stitching securing one side edge of said facingpiece to the free end of the extension, and'anstitching along the frontother line of stitching securing the other side of the facing piece tothe back edge of said eyelet stay but not penetrating the adjacentquarter or lining,

4. A shoe upper having quarters and quarter lining elements, the liningelement on the inner side of the shoe having an extension at the forepart of the shoe forming a wing extending across the mid-line of theshoe in lieu of a tongue and underlying the eyelet portion of theopposite quarter, said liningelement having no stitching through thefore part thereof other than along the margins thereof, and an eyeletstay secured to the fore part of the inner quarter and located betweensaid inner quarter and the adjacent portion of said wing.

5. A shoe upper having quarters and quarter lining elements, the liningelement on the inner side of the shoe having an extension at the forepart of the shoe forming a wing which extends across the mid-line of theshoe in lieu of a tongue and underlies a portion of the other liningelement, said lining element on the inner side of the shoe having nostitching therethrough other than along margins thereof, an eyelet staysecured to the fore part of the inner quarter and located between saidinner quarter and the adjacent portion of said wing, and a facing on thefront face of said wing secured to the free end of the wing by a line ofstitching along one side edge of the facing and secured to said eyeletstay by a line of stitching along the other side edge the facing whichdoes not penetrate said lining. 6. A shoe upper having quarters, a vampstitched to said quarters, and a pair of lining elements extendingcontinuously from heel to toe and secured to said quarters by topstitching, said lining elements being entirely free from stitchingexcept at margins thereof, the lining element for the inner side of theshoe having an integral wing extending across the mid-line of the upperto underlie the eyelet portions of both quarters.

7. A shoe upper having quarters, a vamp stitched to said quarters, apair of lining elements extending continuously from heel to toe andsecured to said quarters by top stitching, said lining elements beingentirely free from stitching except at margins thereof, the liningelement for the inner side of the shoe having an integral wing extendingacross the mid-line of the upper to underlie the eyelet portions of bothquarters, and a facing piece secured to the front face of said wing. V

8. A shoe upper having quarters having an opening at the front of theupper, a pair of quarter lining elements, one of said elements having awing extension in lieu of a tongue, said extension underlying saidopening and the adjacent portion of the other lining element, andeyelets in. said upper adjacent to said opening, said wingextensionbeing secured to its quarter at a point sufficiently spaced from saidopening to permit proper threading of said eyelets with a shoe lace. i

9. A shoe upper having quarters having an quarter lining elements, oneof said elements having a wing extension approximately the size andshape of a conventional shoe tongue underlying the opening and theadjacent portion of the other lining element, a facing piece secured tosaid wing along the side margins thereof to form a pocket for anincreaser, and fastening means carried by said quarters adjacent to saidopening.

: opening at the front of the upper, a pair of V edge.

10. A shoe upper having quarters having'an opening at the front of theupper, a pair of quarter lining elements, one of said elements having awing extension approximately the size and shape of a conventional shoetongue underlying the opening and the adjacent portion of the otherlining element, a facing piece secured to said wing along the sidemargins thereof to form a pocket for an increaser, and a slide fastenerdevice on the front edges of said quarters.

11. A shoe upper having quarters having an opening at the front of theupper, a pair of quarter lining elements, one of said elements having awing extension in lieu of a tongue, said extension underlying theopening and the adjacent portion of the other lining element, fasteningmeans secured to the front of said quarters, and strips on said quartersreceiving said fastening means, said wing extension being secured to itsquarter at a point in back of the strip so as to permit properfunctioning of the fastening 7 means. 7

12. A shoe upper having quarters having an opening at the front of theupper, a. pair of quarter lining elements, one of elements having a wingextension in lieu of a tongue, said extension underlying the opening andthe adjacent portion of the other lining element, eyelets secured to thefront of said quarters, and eyelet reinforcing strips on said quartersreceiving said eyelets, said wing extension being secured to its quarterat a point in back of the strip to permit bending back of the front ofthe quarter sufficiently to allow threading the lace through theeyelets.

13. A shoe upper having quarters and lining elements joined to saidquarters by top stitching, one of said lining elements having anextension at its forward end adapted to serve as a tongue for the shoe,said one lining element having a notch in the upper edge thereof spacedrearwardly'from the front edge of the adjacent quarter, the line of topstitching in said adjacent quarter extending forward from the heelportion to said notch and leaving the lining element at said notch tocontinue along the top and front edges of said adjacent quarter.

14. A shoe upper having quarters and a lining element joined to saidquarters by top stitching, said lining element having an extension atits forward end adapted to serve as a tongue for the shoe, said liningelement having a notch inthe upper edge thereof spaced rearwardiy fromthe front edge of the adjacent quarter, the line of top stitching insaid adjacent quarter extending forwardly from the heel portion thereofto said notch and leaving the lining element at said notch to continueaiong the top and front edges of said adjacent quarter.

15. A shoe upper having quarters having opening between the front edgesthereof, a'pair of quarter lining elements, one of said elements havinga wing extension in lieu of a tongue, said extension underlying theopening and the adjacent portion of the other lining element and beingattached to its quarter at a pointspaced from said opening, fasteningmeans secured to the front of said quarters, and a reinforcing stripreceiving said fastening means disposed between said point of attachmentof the wing extension to its quarter and the adjacent front edge of thequarter and extending along said adjacent front JOHN F. 'IEEHAN.

